John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)

A total of 14 local drugs task forces, LDTFs, are in operation, 12 of which are located in Dublin while the others are in Bray and Cork. The rest of the country is covered by ten regional drugs task forces, RDTFs. I have no plans to increase the number of LDTFs.

From time to time during the extensive public consultation process undertaken in connection with the preparation of the new national drugs strategy, reference was made to the extent of the areas covered by various RDTFs. However, the issue of county-based drug task forces was not raised to any significant degree at the public consultation meetings I attended. I am informed this was also the case at other such meetings. As the House might remember, I was not a Minister of State during all of the consultation process. The regional structures, which are still relatively new, are starting to make a real impact on the ground and should be given the opportunity to fulfil their potential in the coming years.

The development of a new strategy presents an important opportunity to examine the structures through which it is delivered and to consider whether there are different and more effective ways of achieving our goals. Should the steering group, which is developing proposals in this regard, recommend any changes to the geographic areas covered by the drugs task forces as part of its deliberations, I will consider them at that stage.

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